iarjalsIARJALSIARJALS2708-510410.47310/iarjals.2021.v02i02.006Dairy Animal Management Factors Influencing Milk Yield among Members of the Mpima Dairy Cooperative Society, Kabwe, Central Zambia: Magnifying the Role of Milk in Human Diet and Raising Nutritional LevelsChansaChombaIdaniLichiloSchool of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Mulungushi University, P. O. Box 80415, Kabwe, ZambiaSchool of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mulungushi UniversityA study was carried out between September and December 2020 to characterize the dairy farming activities in Mpima Dairy Cooperative Society area of Kabwe central Zambia. Data were collected through Focused Group Discussion with cooperative leadership and a questionnaire survey to the 40 household heads included in the sample. The questions in the questionnaire were designed to capture information on cattle breeds used, number of cattle per housed hold and number of years in dairy cattle management, herd size, milking routines and milk yields, grazing regime practiced and size of land, feeding including quantity and quality of feed given, knowledge on the food conversion ratio and nutrients needed by individual dairy animals, water access and quantity /supply, and management improvements needed to increase milk yields. Data entry and storage were carried out using a data entry form earlier prepared which were later entered in Excel Spread sheet where descriptive statistics were performed and later imported into Mini Tab Statistical software package. Chi-square goodness of fit test was applied to compare between expected and observed frequencies of the identified parameters. Graphical presentations were prepared using Microsoft Excel Version 2016. Results obtained showed that farmers had adequate number of years in cattle keeping (6 - 25 years), but that all of the households faced water shortages in the dry season, and fodder was also limited during this time as almost all farmers practiced open range/free ranging grazing regime and supplementary feeding was also limited as most farmers did not make hay or silage and did not have sufficient financial resources to source supplements from outside the district. The amount of feed given to each animal per day was generally low although it varied among farmers with most farmers 74%, n = 26, feeding their animals on 20kg and less per day, and only 26% of the farmers provided ≥ 26kg of feed per day per animal. Otherwise, only 14%, n = 5, provided feed of 30 - 40kgs. The mean milk produced was low 6 (5.9) liters per cow with most farmers 70% (n = 28) milking twice per day, and the remaining 30% (n = 12) milking only once. The quantity of milk slightly increased during the rainy season although the quantity was not specified but with farmers having Friesian and Jersey breeds producing slightly higher quantities of milk than other breeds. It was concluded that all farmers were aware of the potential of the breeds they own to produce larger quantities of milk than what is currently produced, and acknowledged that severe management constraints were the main factors preventing them from realizing their potential.